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Hope for the Deaf
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MB churches join in conspiracy
Winnipeg
In 2006, three young church leaders decided to revolutionize the consumerism of Christmas by encouraging their communities to “spend less, give more, love all, and worship fully” the ultimate gift of Christ.
The response was overwhelming and Advent Conspiracy was born (www.adventconspiracy.org). Today, Advent Conspiracy is a movement that promotes innovative yet practical ways for churches to give relationally, as God gave his son.
“Essentially, Advent Conspiracy is one practical way of carrying out the vision of Regenerate 21-01,” says Stephanie Jean-Paul, ministries administrative assistant at the Canadian conference, “encouraging a life-changing process of personal and church renewal as we proclaim Christ and reach out to help those in need. We pray that people will be challenged to think about how their resources are spent during the Christmas season and that churches will be excited to be a part of this.”
Willy Reimer, pastor at SunWest Christian Fellowship, Calgary, says that in 2008 their church “received Advent Conspiracy quite enthusiastically,” giving $28,000 to The Mustard Seed (Calgary) and MCC water well drilling projects.
Bruce Enns, pastor of Forest Grove Community Church, Saskatoon, says in 2008, “Advent Conspiracy helped us turn Christmas inside out – making it more about others and less about ourselves. It truly helped us move closer to God’s purpose in the Christmas story.”
To date, some 20 Mennonite Brethren churches are participating in Advent Conspiracy initiatives. To get involved, contact Stephanie Jean Paul at sjeanpaul@mbconf.ca or call 1-888-669-6575.
MB Study Conference
Buying for change
Winnipeg
Can buying a book really change a life?
Yvonne Heinrichs, Kindred Productions resource project manager, would be the first to tell you it’s not only possible, it’s happening – through the Kindred Spirits Rewards Program (KSRP).
Since its birth in March 2008, KSRP has been supporting various resource development initiatives for local and international church ministries.
Whenever a book or Christian resource is purchased through Kindred Productions, 10 percent of that purchase value is earned as credit which can be allocated to a registered church or a KSRP ministry partner. These credits are kept on reserve to purchase future resources.
“It’s all about relationships between Kindred Productions and the churches/mission agencies,” says Heinrichs.
This partnership is what Heinrichs and her staff find most exciting about the KSRP program. Not only does the buyer receive their product but the designated church/ministry partner receives as well. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved and lives are changed as a result.
The children’s ministry pastor at Fort Garry MB Church, Winnipeg, reaped the benefits of KSRP this past summer. She discovered approximately $450 in KSRP credits that could be used towards the purchase of VBS materials/resources, covering almost half of their costs. She will use future KSRP credits to purchase Gather Round curriculum materials for Fort Garry’s Sunday school programs.
Other KSRP-registered churches have used credits to purchase a variety of resource materials for small group ministries, baptism/communion programs, daughter/sister churches, local outreach ministries, and MBMS International programs.
At press time, KSRP had 43 registered churches and mission agencies, listed at www.kindredproductions.com/kindred_spirits/. Any church or mission agency can register through Kindred Productions to become a KSRP-registered member for a one-time fee of $29.95.
- Stewardship Ministries of the Canadian Conference of MB Churches has full or part-time positions available on the ministries team in each of the Prairie provinces. Candidates will facilitate leadership training sessions and convey Christian stewardship principles to congregations.
- The new executive board of the Alberta MB conference, following restructuring of their governance model, is Daniel Beutler, moderator; Brent Miller, vice-moderator; Bob Thiessen, treasurer; and Sig Janzen, secretary. Team leaders are Bob Berg (finance and administration), Dennis Wiens (faith and life), Elroy Senneker (encouraging church reproduction), and Willy Reimer (developing leadership).
- Provincial church planting directors, along with director of ministries Ewald Unruh, attended a B.C. church planting retreat Oct. 19–21 in W
histler, B.C. The directors and church planters from across Canada will also attend the Renov8 evangelism and church planting congress in Calgary, Nov. 17–20.
- Dr. Delphin Kapasa of the Good Shepherd Clinic in Kinshasa, DR Congo, spent about a month in various Canadian MB settings this fall, raising awareness and funds for this work of Congolese Mennonite Brethren in a poor and marginalized area of the capital city. The clinic, which deals with many malaria cases, has 20 people on staff, and has seen amazing results in spite of limited resources, said Kapasa in his reports.
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Hope for the Deaf
MB churches join in conspiracy
Winnipeg
In 2006, three young church leaders decided to revolutionize the consumerism of Christmas by encouraging their communities to “spend less, give more, love all, and worship fully” the ultimate gift of Christ.
The response was overwhelming and Advent Conspiracy was born (www.adventconspiracy.org). Today, Advent Conspiracy is a movement that promotes innovative yet practical ways for churches to give relationally, as God gave his son.
“Essentially, Advent Conspiracy is one practical way of carrying out the vision of Regenerate 21-01,” says Stephanie Jean-Paul, ministries administrative assistant at the Canadian conference, “encouraging a life-changing process of personal and church renewal as we proclaim Christ and reach out to help those in need. We pray that people will be challenged to think about how their resources are spent during the Christmas season and that churches will be excited to be a part of this.”
Willy Reimer, pastor at SunWest Christian Fellowship, Calgary, says that in 2008 their church “received Advent Conspiracy quite enthusiastically,” giving $28,000 to The Mustard Seed (Calgary) and MCC water well drilling projects.
Bruce Enns, pastor of Forest Grove Community Church, Saskatoon, says in 2008, “Advent Conspiracy helped us turn Christmas inside out – making it more about others and less about ourselves. It truly helped us move closer to God’s purpose in the Christmas story.”
To date, some 20 Mennonite Brethren churches are participating in Advent Conspiracy initiatives. To get involved, contact Stephanie Jean Paul at sjeanpaul@mbconf.ca or call 1-888-669-6575.
—Canadian Conference of MB Churches
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MB Study Conference
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Buying for change
Winnipeg
Can buying a book really change a life?Yvonne Heinrichs, Kindred Productions resource project manager, would be the first to tell you it’s not only possible, it’s happening – through the Kindred Spirits Rewards Program (KSRP).
Since its birth in March 2008, KSRP has been supporting various resource development initiatives for local and international church ministries.
Whenever a book or Christian resource is purchased through Kindred Productions, 10 percent of that purchase value is earned as credit which can be allocated to a registered church or a KSRP ministry partner. These credits are kept on reserve to purchase future resources.
“It’s all about relationships between Kindred Productions and the churches/mission agencies,” says Heinrichs.
This partnership is what Heinrichs and her staff find most exciting about the KSRP program. Not only does the buyer receive their product but the designated church/ministry partner receives as well. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved and lives are changed as a result.
The children’s ministry pastor at Fort Garry MB Church, Winnipeg, reaped the benefits of KSRP this past summer. She discovered approximately $450 in KSRP credits that could be used towards the purchase of VBS materials/resources, covering almost half of their costs. She will use future KSRP credits to purchase Gather Round curriculum materials for Fort Garry’s Sunday school programs.
Other KSRP-registered churches have used credits to purchase a variety of resource materials for small group ministries, baptism/communion programs, daughter/sister churches, local outreach ministries, and MBMS International programs.
At press time, KSRP had 43 registered churches and mission agencies, listed at www.kindredproductions.com/kindred_spirits/. Any church or mission agency can register through Kindred Productions to become a KSRP-registered member for a one-time fee of $29.95.
—Canadian Conference of MB Churches
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